Built on top of a hill, the square turreted tower of the cathedral dominates Peel.
The original cathedral on “St Patrick’s Isle”:http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/man/central/patrick_isle/index.html was a roofless ruin by the C19th. There had been plans to restore it, but in the end it was decided the task was too great and the money would be better spent on a new building.
St German’s Church was built between 1879 and 1884 using the local red sandstone. It is a large and impressive Victorian Gothic building. It was eventually consecrated as a cathedral in 1980.
The cathedral gardens are being redeveloped to tell the story of Christianity on the island from the arrival of the early Irish Missionaries to the present day with a Peace Garden.
The inside is attractive with an arcade of Cheshire sandstone separating the nave from the side aisles. Walls are whitewashed and uplighters at the top of the pillars make the underside of the arches glow.
At the back of the cathedral is a small treasury with a display of church silver from the C15th. Above is the great west window with a depiction of the Nativity which was installed after a hurricane in 1903 blew in the original window.
The crossing altar came from St Bridget’s Chapel at the long gone Nunnery in Douglas. Above it is a beautiful gold corona. The pulpit and font are carved from Caen stone. The carved wood screen in the north transept was given in memory of a local headmistress. Mothers’ Union banners hang from the walls.
The menorah in front of the organ in the south transept was made by an Israeli blacksmith from spent missiles from the Israel/Palestine conflicts for the Anne Frank Exhibition in 2010.
The chancel apse is small compared with the rest of the cathedral. Beneath the east windows is a reredos carved from Caen stone with the four evangelists. On either side are paintings of Old Testament figures.
The cathedral is open daily 9-6. It is on Derby Road, opposite the Town Hall. There is parking on the roads near by. The nearest post code is IM5 1JS and the grid reference is SC 247840.
There are more pictures “here.”:http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/man/churchesandcrosses/churches/churches_two/st_johns/index.html
